Chase the Moon

by Kristen Strassel

  “Victoria Lynne,” Mom tsked. “You know better than to trespass.”

  “I didn’t do anything about it because this is private property, and I was waiting on a call from this guy to act.” Sheriff Holmes nodded at Abel. “But something tells me you won’t be looking to press charges.”

  “Who is this man, and why is he half-naked in the middle of your mobile—”

  “Tiny house,” Abel corrected her and held out his free hand. “I’m Abel. As Sheriff Holmes already said, I own this land, and—”

  “He’s my mate.” No need to hide it.

  My mother’s mouth dropped even more. “Mate? What are you talking about?”

  Abel shrugged as Mom left him hanging and he moved onto Dad, who accepted the handshake.

  “Beautiful land you’ve got here.” Leave it to Dad to take the whole thing in stride.

  “No changing the subject, Gary. What do you mean, mate? Was this planned?”

  “No. We just met.”

  “You’ve been here for two days.” Mom shook her head. “What are you talking about? Is that slang for boyfriend?”

  “No. It means forever.” I couldn’t hide my smile as I stood next to Abel. “I know, it’s a shock to me too. It doesn’t mean I’m not going on my trip. It just means that the plans are changing to include Abel.”

  “Did you...elope without telling us?”

  I laughed. “Not exactly.”

  Mom turned to Sheriff Holmes. “You seem to know this man. Is he a scam artist? A criminal?”

  The sheriff laughed. “No ma’am. Long-time, upstanding citizen of Aurora Falls. Valuable member of the community.”

  “Hmm.” Mom crossed her hands over her chest. My heart stopped; afraid she’d see my brand-new mark. It still burned my bicep. She’d never keep quiet about a tattoo. But she didn’t say anything. She couldn’t see it. “Seems too good to be true.”

  “It does.” It broke my heart that she couldn’t be happy for me, the same way that Dolly had when I’d found the thing she so desperately wanted. Or when Abel was happy just to see me happy. This was exactly why I hit the road. “Why don’t you let us get dressed and then we can explain?”

  Shutting the window blind on my parents was so satisfying when we went back inside. We shimmied into our clothes. “I should’ve warned you about my parents, but I wasn’t expecting an ambush.”

  Abel shook his head. “They love you.”

  “They have a funny way of showing it.”

  “Things haven’t changed much over the centuries.” He smirked. His hair was wild after claiming me.

  He’d claimed me. My heart skipped a beat every time I thought about it.

  I wished I had the stones we’d dropped off to be set. I wanted to wear them, so everyone knew I belonged to Abel. My parents wouldn’t be able to see the mark. But first, I had to stop my mother from freaking out.

  Sheriff Holmes and Dad seemed to have hit it off, talking about fishing or some outdoorsy thing. But Mom was watching the door, like she wasn’t sure I’d come out again.

  I grasped Abel’s hand, and he squeezed it.

  “Mom, tell me how you met Dad.”

  She broke her death glare at Abel long enough to glance at her husband, and her lips turned up in a smile. “We were set up on a blind date, and we’ve been inseparable ever since.”

  Mm-hmm. “And how long before you got married?”

  “A month.” She sighed. “People warned us it wasn’t the right thing to do. We were lucky. It’s not always perfect, but we understand each other. We know how to give each other space. We might not hold hands so much anymore, but every once in a while, I still catch him looking at me like that.” She nodded at Abel and smiled.

  “We love you, kiddo,” Dad said when he walked over. “I told your mother that you were too busy having fun to check your phone, which is what we wanted for you. And Sheriff Holmes has nothing but good things to say about Abel.”

  “Are we dropping the claim of a missing person?” the sheriff asked. “There’s also a trespassing charge...”

  “No, no charges.” Mom waved him off.

  “Let’s head back to the hotel and let these two have a little alone time.” Dad gave me a knowing grin that made my cheeks burn.

  Wait a minute. “How did you find a hotel room on festival weekend?”

  Mom gave me a hug. “When you care about someone, you’ll do whatever it takes to find them.” She glanced toward Abel. “I remember when we brought you here as a little girl. You fell in love with the mermaids. Insisted I make little tails for all your dolls, and you’d have them go swimming in the bathtub. I always wished the Legend of the Lake was real. I think you made it come true.”

  She and Dad walked away from us when my mouth was still hanging open. Mom believed.

  Sheriff Holmes tipped his hat to us. “I take it my work here is done.”

  “We’ll see you in town tonight.” Abel put his arm around me. “It’s time to celebrate.”

  GRITTING MY TEETH AS we walked through the packed main street, I shrunk against Abel’s side. “There are too many people here.”

  He tightened his grip on me and whispered into my hair. “I’ll keep you safe.”

  Leading me through the crowded room, he made sure I didn’t bump against anyone until we reached the back door, where an equally enormous man nodded at us, and clapped Abel on the shoulder before letting us in.

  I could breathe again when we walked into the back room. Much brighter, quieter, and less crowded than the front room, Dolly’s face lit up and she waved us over.

  “We hold events to draw our mates to us, but we have our own spaces so we can enjoy their company once they arrive,” Abel said as we sat down.

  “What’s everyone drinking?” Dolly asked.

  “What’s that?” I pointed at her orange drink with the cherries floating on top.

  “A Harvey Wallbanger.”

  It looked pretty but sounded lethal. “I’ll have a pumpkin craft.”

  “I’ll have a porter,” Abel said. “Where’s Zander?”

  Dolly sighed. “Someone scheduled to work at Club Scales found their mate and is too busy to come into work, so he picked up the shift.”

  “The strip club?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Sometimes I like to go and watch, because damn he’s sexy on stage, but some months, I’m too frustrated to go.” She stared down at her drink. “There are so many people in town this weekend. What if one of them sees the mark?”

  I’d worn a tank under my jacket in case I had a chance to show my brand-new mark off, but I was thankful she wouldn’t be able to see it.

  “Do you want us to go with you?” I asked.

  “That’s sweet, but I’m sure Abel doesn’t want to go back to his old haunt.”

  My mouth dropped. “The strip club?”

  “Yup.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Had to show as much skin as possible to find my mate.”

  Dolly sighed. “I’m gonna head home and hope he comes back to me tonight.”

  “You can hang out with us as long as you want.” Abel put his hand over hers. “You’ve listened to me pour my heart out more than one full moon.”

  Dolly turned to me. “What did it look like when you saw it?”

  The mark.

  “Like a temporary tattoo. Not something a big man like Abel would choose as ink.” I wished I could describe it a way that made a difference and she’d see it. Like I’d cracked a secret code. “The lines are thin, and they change color in the light.”

  “I’ve seen every inch of Zander in every light. And the mark should be on me too.” She took a gulp of her drink. “Are you staying after Monday?”

  “Yeah. I’m here until we decide to hit the road.”

  Her mouth dropped and she turned to Abel. “You’re leaving Aurora Falls?”

  “Maybe. I won’t be called back to the lake. I’d like to see how the world’s changed in the last few hundred years.”

  “Thin
gs are changing so fast.” She shook her head. “I was looking forward to having a new girlfriend. Someone to gossip with about all these Mermen.”

  “You’ll still have that.” My heart broke for her. “Let’s go to Club Scales.”

  Dolly raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

  “Yes. I have a good feeling tonight’s the night you’ll see that mark.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  ABEL

  Tori was willing to face her fears of rowdy crowds to cheer up someone she barely knew who was important to me. We were supposed to be celebrating, but Dolly was uncharacteristically messy tonight. It hit her hard that I found my mate. And what the fuck with Zander, taking a shift at Scales? He didn’t need the money. And he was as in love with Dolly as she was with him.

  We had to figure out a way for her to see his mark. I couldn’t bear the thought of my best friend going back to the lake when I got to stay on land. Not seeing him until next month...if I was still here.

  Dolly was right. Everything was changing. In all the time I dreamed about my mate, I never considered the ripple effect it would have on the rest of my life.

  Club Scales had a VIP section at the front of the stage that was reserved for bachelorette parties and girls’ nights out. I’d entertained the occupants of that table many full moons. We headed to the table near the backstage door, so we could hang out with the performers and Blaire, who ran the place.

  Blaire knew Dolly needed a hug. She’d been in a similar predicament, seeing a mark but not connecting with her mate, Jaxxon, until recently.

  “What are you guys doing here?” she asked. “Zander’s not working tonight.”

  Dolly furrowed his brow. “He said he was covering for someone who found his mate.”

  Blaire shook her head. “Sorry, Doll. If he is, he’s planning on arriving fashionably late because I haven’t seen him yet.”

  Dolly turned to me. “I have a bad feeling about this.”

  Zander wasn’t the type of guy who’d flake out on two jobs, or his woman, even if she couldn’t see his mark. He only went through the motions every month because he hoped that Dolly would see it.

  “Me too.”

  Tori put her hand on Dolly’s shoulder. “What else did Zander tell you?”

  Dolly sighed deeply before she answered. “He said not to wait up for him, because he’d be working late. A lot of people found their mates this month, and he’d be busy. I was so exhausted from the Festival I didn’t even realize how much it sounded like he was trying to avoid me.”

  “He wouldn’t do that,” I said. Zander never shied away from a fight. Every month, he came up with a new way for Dolly to see his mark. The Festival was one of those ideas and Dolly brought it to life. Problem was, it never worked. “The only thing that gets him through the month in the lake is the promise of seeing you again.”

  “And every month, I disappoint him.” She shook her head. “Okay. Something’s definitely wrong. Zander doesn’t take off without telling either of us where he’s going.”

  “Let’s check the cabins. Maybe something there distracted him.” Most of the mated Mer didn’t come to town on the full moon. Like Tori, they preferred to avoid the crowds and enjoy the town when we had it to ourselves.

  “Are there any enemies in the lake?” Dolly asked as we headed to the parking lot. We piled into the cab on my truck, and her eyes looked haunted in my rearview mirror.

  “No, Zander has no enemies.” He’d always been a peacemaker, even when we were in our darkest hours. When there was no hope of being called to shore by the lure of our mates.

  But I was worried, too. So many people were in town, and we’d encouraged them to get up close and personal with the Festival performers in hopes one of them would see the mark. Anything could’ve happened.

  I was reckless and took the corner on the windy road a little too fast, making the ladies gasp. I parked outside of Tori’s tiny house. Dolly knew her way to the cabins, and scaled the slippery rocks quickly, even in the dark.

  “I was hoping this would get easier now that I had your mark,” Tori grumbled. “No superpowers come with this thing, huh?”

  Dolly’s scream rang out before we could catch up with her. It echoed off the too still waters of the lake. When we reached my cabin, she was on her knees in front of my front door, sobbing.

  She pushed a crumpled piece of paper at me.

  I’ve gone back to the lake. If I can’t have my mate, it’s where I belong.

  Damn it, Zander. But then I realized how close I was to giving up before I found Tori.

  Tori crouched down beside Dolly, but she shied away from her comfort, letting out another howl.

  “Why can’t I see it?” she said between ragged breaths. “Why can’t I be enough for him?”

  “You are.” I kneeled down next to them. “You’re the only reason he comes to shore every month—”

  She wriggled away from both of us and ran into the darkness, toward the lake. Fuck. I knew exactly what she was doing.

  Stopping short on the water’s edge, she screamed, “Zander!”

  The single word rippled like waves over the water.

  No answer.

  “Zander.” This plea came out as a whisper, and she did exactly what I was afraid of, started wading in the water, saying his name with each step.

  “Dolly. No.” Shit. She was in up to her knees, and she had a head start on me. The only advantage of being human, and it could cost her her life. I kicked off my boots and pushed my jeans down my legs. I’d skip it, if I could, but my fins would have nowhere to go and I’d sink the bottom of the lake.

  “What can I do?” Tori called from the edge of the water. Shit. She was too close... The serpent might not see her mark in time before he attacked.

  “Don’t come in the lake,” I warned. “Stay here. Take off your jacket so anyone who comes knows you’re my mate.”

  “I’m scared, Abel.”

  She should be. I didn’t have time to calm her fears, because Dolly was in danger. She’d swam fast, and she was in over her head in every way possible.

  “Zander!” Another cry. Her head bobbed above the surface, but it wouldn’t be long before the serpent found her, or she exhausted herself. Either way, she’d wind up at the bottom of the lake.

  I dove in, trusting Tori would do the right thing, and hoping that we hadn’t been tricked. That someone with a grudge against the Mer, maybe a scorned lover that couldn’t see the mark, hadn’t sought revenge against us.

  It didn’t happen often, but it did happen.

  Something dark and sinister moved in the water like a wave. In this distance, it was hard to tell if it was Dolly sinking to the bottom or the serpent pulling her there. Either way, I swam toward it.

  One of the serpent’s many arms slapped against the surface of the water, sending waves rocking out from the impact. Shit. It could be enough to drag Tori in, and I wouldn’t even know she was in danger...

  He pulled Dolly down below the surface. Her scream sounded different underwater, but it would awaken any Mer who was still called to the deep. She kicked and thrashed, but that would only make the serpent tighten his grip.

  It had been a long time since I had to fight this bastard.

  I needed to dive deep and get stones, but I didn’t have time. I couldn’t take my eyes off Dolly. I only had minutes, if not moments, to free her. She’d lose oxygen and we wouldn’t be able to put the pieces back together the same way they were.

  The serpent lashed out with one of its many arms when I attacked. His barnacles slashed my skin, and my blood muddied the water.

  Dolly’s screams were garbled. She was taking on too much water and not enough oxygen. Shit. I had to save her. I couldn’t fail both my best friends like this.

  I had her hand. She still had enough strength to close her fingers over mine. That was a good sign. I grasped under her shoulder, but the serpent’s grip was too fucking tight.

  I would fight until there wa
s nothing left to fight for. But the more I pulled, the tighter his grip became.

  Someone else had joined the fight, slashing at the serpent, and catching him off guard. It was enough to make him let go of Dolly.

  I swam straight for the surface. Her head was limp and fell to my shoulder when it hit the cool night air.

  Fuck.

  Zander’s head popped up next to mine. “She’s not breathing. Get her to shore.”

  “What the fuck were you thinking?” I didn’t have time to wait for his answer. I had to save Dolly’s life.

  Chapter Fifteen

  TORI

  I screamed when a thing came above the surface of the water and dragged Dolly down. It took everything I had to stay on land. I wanted to help, to fight. I’d never felt so helpless in my life. And never felt such a sense of loss for people who’d become so important to me in such a short amount of time. Dolly, who’d been so welcoming this afternoon and now absolutely distraught, knowing something was wrong with her mate even before she had any confirmation.

  Three heads came to the surface. In the distance, I heard two male voices fighting before they came to shore.

  Abel carried Dolly’s limp body to the edge of the lake, and Zander followed.

  “What the hell were you thinking?” I asked the man I’d never met. I’d only seen him once, at the Festival when it was me in a panic and Abel had talked me off the ledge. Changed my life. Now he was about to do the same for Zander and Dolly.

  Zander dropped to his knees beside his lover’s unconscious body. They shook her, and I realized that neither of these ancient creatures knew CPR.

  My mind raced back to high school, hoping I remembered enough to save her. Pushing them away, I started chest compressions.

  “Breathe for her,” I pleaded. “Zander, you have to give her your breath.”

  “I’ll give her everything I have.” But he couldn’t give her his mark.

  His wet hair fell over her face as he breathed into her mouth. In times like this, it was impossible to tell how much time had passed when every second was so very precious.